So I was chatting away with a colleague this week after completing another consultation with a child who while may not have been considered 'typical' of the clientele we see in CE could be a possible candidate for our school and the point came up as it frequently does these days...where do we draw the line?
Can CE help anyone with motoric challenges?
The the question becomes can we in good conscience turn anyone away from our doors, especially knowing the quality of educational establishments currently available to this particular population? (I wish to stress here that I am not criticising other schools or philosophies but I do feel that CE can offer many unique qualities, all within one unified setting).
The clients I am currently seeing come to our doors (especially children) are certainly not the clients CE would have seen 40, 20 even 10 years ago. This is of course mainly due to medical advances, but I would also like to think it is because of an increased optimism for the abilities and prospects for these children, and also because or an increase, however slight, in the general visibility of CE around the world!
So back to the original questions..what are the limitations of CE and can we help anyone??
I like to believe the answer to this is yes! I like to believe that CE is such an effective method and philosophy that while limitations will obviously exist, we have the ability to be able to help any individual become more orthofunctional.
Now to the crux of the matter...how will integrating or not integrating these individuals into our environment impact the CE environment????
And here is the sticking point for me.
Do we give these individuals one-on-one sessions? Not idea by our methodology.
Do we integrate them fully and if so, is it even possible to provide enough differentiation to keep the group cohesive and yet provide sufficient facilitation for all within the group??
I am thinking on my feet here people!!!! But tell me in all honesty can you truly look a desperate parent or caregiver in the face and tell them it is hopeless! That there is no helping their child! That CE an education renowned for finding an individuals strengths, when no one else can, and developing their skills from that base, cannot handle their child!??
I understand that there are limitations to CE..but I do not have a crystal ball! I am unable to predict where any individual will be in 2, 5, 10 years. I could never have predicted that I would be here 10 years ago and who knows me better than I do???
And so I sit, pouring over this consultation report..seeing this child's strengths. Their determination, their positive attitude and the spark in their eye which hints at the intelligence and understanding trapped inside and I can't for the life of me say no! Am I wrong???
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Rachel, I don't think you are. In the past when we had a group that worked on similar aims or the possibility of giving them an individual slot, we would give it a go. We usually told them that we will give it a trail period to see for both parties if CE can make a difference. Usually with the warning that CE traditionally usually does not work with children with that kind of disability but that we can anticipate teaching him/her skills that are meaningful for them. To be honest we never regretted it. Those children or adults became a important part of the group and thrived as well as helped their peers to thrive.
ReplyDeleteAnd luckily so far I only had to say a definite NO to two people. The first time was hard breaking. They were very upset and in all honestly we could have helped them a bit but the groups we had, weren't appropriate and individual would have not worked either.
The second time the child was to advanced for our groups and really only needed to work on academic skills. Luckily I knew a great special needs teacher who went private to refer them to.
After the first refusal we made it policy to warn the families of "borderline" potential clients that we might not have a suitable group for them.It made those assessments less stressful.
I am a bit confused. After much review of scientific research I have noticed that there is no statistical significance or gain between students involved in CE and other forms of CP interventions? Also many studies have stated that CE is not appropriate for severe disabilities as spastic quad, non verbal CP kids? Could you link me with peer reviewed research that concludes CE produces statistically significantly better results than other CP interventions?
ReplyDeletei think this is an interesting point. myself and my colleague presented on this topic at last years CE Conference in the UK. We spoke specifically about a group we have created over a few years gradually. firstly we prepared children with individual sessions and then gradually introduced them to a group but other than that all the theory of CE that we used to the children about creating an environment in which they could learn was as it would be with any children we see. these children would definitely come under the category of typically 'non-conductive' but have all made progress simply by the structured, appropriate teaching that CE provides. I think the answer is never say never. if you can, then try, and be very clear about this with the parents/clients. we have found this a successful way of doing things.
ReplyDeleteJules
Hi Phil, I am not claiming and never have claimed that CE is the be all and end all or the best or only intervention for students with any form of motoring disorder. However my expenses over the past 15years have led me to believe that it is as effective as many other interventions with the population with severe spastic CP. This group have challenges that any intervention must focus on. I do not believe that there is currently any single intervention that provides all that this group requires, not by a long shot!
ReplyDeleteWhat I am seeing in my current environment however is intervention for a group that appears to be providing them with more independence communicatively and socially that any other intervention that they have available in this area. No other environment here in NYC will have them out of their wheelchairs for longer periods of time than we do. No other intervention combines their physical, social, self help, academic and communication needs into one program!
Wee are currently conducting our own research project into the communication program that we have incorporated into the CE day and I will happily share that with you once it is published. As for peer writing as you know from your research this is rare in the extreme. I blame two major reasons for this..conductors are not researchers! And they are so busy working with their students and clients they do not have a lot of time to dedicate to writing!
I know none of this answers your question however my faith in CE will not be swayed! I have seen far too many successes and developments for that!